I Know
by iloveerik
Summary: This shows what I think should have happened after Harry, Ron and Hermione left Dumbledore's office.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter franchise is not mine. The characters aren't, the places aren't, and unfortunately, the money isn't mine either.

This is my first Harry Potter fanfic so please be nice. Constructive criticism is welcome, but please don't criticise for fun. Thank you for reading!

The smoke was looming heavily over and throughout Hogwarts as Harry, Ron and Hermione stepped out of Dumbledore's former office. The loud cheers of joy had subsided long before and an eerie silence had taken its place with a unique combination of sporadic sobs and laughter. It seemed that no one knew exactly what to do or feel. There were many dead at the hands of Voldemort and his followers and that caused so much pain that it was almost too much to bear. However, Voldemort had been defeated and this was definitely something to rejoice in.

Harry turned to his two best friends who had been through the worst with him. "Are you ready to go back down?" Ron and Hermione looked at each other. "Why don't you go lie down, mate, we'll take care of everything. You look like you've been through the wash a few times." Ron joked. Breaking the tension, Harry smiled softly and put his hands on Ron's and Hermione's shoulders. "Seriously, I just want to thank you guys for being there this year. I don't know what I would have done without you. You have defeated Voldemort as much as I have." Letting his arms drop heavily by his side, Harry trudged off to get a few moments of rest in his old four poster bed in Gryffindor Tower.

The second Harry was gone Ron and Hermione looked at each other. They both had dirt, smoke and dust smeared on their faces with tear tracks running down them in uneven lines. Their clothes were dirty, torn and bloody in some places but they were both alive. After what happened tonight, they were lucky that they looked this good. Ron wrapped his arm around her and started walking down to the Great Hall.

Passing by rubble, blood and wounded that were being treated along the way made them grip each other tighter. They were stopped by people along the way with amazed looks and heartfelt thanks for all that they had done to defeat Voldemort. Although the complete story of their year on the run was unknown, it was common knowledge that they were searching for a way to defeat Voldemort. This gained them great respect throughout the Wizarding community.

When Ron and Hermione finally made it back to the Great Hall they were faced with the dreaded reality of facing his family. Hermione tried to back away to give the family some space but Ron held his grip firmly around her waist.

"I need you for this."

Hermione gave him a small smile and walked up to the table that the Weasley family was surrounding. Each member of the family had a different dumbfounded look on their face. Mrs. Weasley was sobbing uncontrollably onto her husband's shoulder while Mr. Weasley had tears freely flowing down his cheeks. Bill and Charlie were sitting close together and whispering with devastated looks on their faces. Percy's face stood out the most to Hermione. He had a look of shame, guilt, sadness, and anger all rolled into one. Ginny had her head in her hands, shaking.

Looking around, Hermione spotted George sitting on the bench with a deadpan look on his face. He didn't even blink an eyelash when Ron and Hermione stopped near him. Releasing Hermione, but silently pleading for her to stay close by, Ron knelt down by his brother.

"George…I love you mate."

George's face broke its stony exterior and he flung his arms around Ron sobbing into his shoulder. Ron, surprised but pleased, brought his arms around George and hugged him tightly. Only then would Ron release the tears that he'd been holding since his initial response to his brother's murder.

Hermione looked on at this display with tears rolling down her cheeks as well. She had loved Fred like a brother and so she grieved for him along with every member of the family that she loved so much. Seeing Ron, in particular, grieve for his brother broke her heart the most. He had the biggest place in her heart and it wounded her to see him hurting.

Turning her attention away from Ron and George (who were now sitting together with their arms flung around each other's shoulders with their heads bowed), Hermione started towards Ginny. They had been friends for many years…but they had definitely gotten closer starting in fourth year. Now they were like sisters. Sitting down by Ginny she placed a hand on her shoulder to let her know that she was there for her. Ginny looked up at her with red, puffy eyes and put her head in her hands once more. Hermione knew that she just had to be there for her. There was nothing that could be said to bring her brother back. Nothing she could do that would ease the pain of losing Fred.

Once other people came up to George to express their condolences for the loss, Ron decided to check on the rest of his family. He knew exactly where Hermione was and decided to go check on Ginny first. Walking up behind the two girls, he placed one hand on Ginny's shoulder and the other on Hermione's. The girls looked up in surprise—they had not heard him coming because they had been whispering softly to each other.

Ron leaned down and gave Ginny a half hug.

"He'll be okay Ginny."

Hermione looked at Ron with confusion. Fred would not be okay. He was dead.

Ginny, however, gave Ron a small nod. He knew that seeing Hagrid carrying Harry's "body" had torn her heart out. "Fred won't be though." She whispered.

"No, but he's watching us right now and probably having a good laugh about us carrying on like this."

"Besides", he said, "we need to celebrate what we didn't lose." With this he glanced at Hermione and took her hand. "Ginny, why don't you go find Harry…he's up in Gryffindor tower trying to sleep. Knowing him though, I doubt he will be able to until he sees you." Ron reasoned. Giving Ron an appreciative smile, Ginny got up and gave him a real hug.

"Thank you big brother, I love you." Ron nodded and squeezed her tight before releasing her. As she walked away, Ron pulled Hermione up out of her seat and into his arms. He placed his forehead against hers and whispered "I love you. Thanks for being here for me." She looked into his blue eyes and said, "I love you too. Thanks for wanting me to be here with you." He smiled and leaned in and kissed her softly. When they pulled apart they were startled to see his entire family staring at them with big eyes.

Suddenly, the sweet sound of laughter rang through the air and big smiles erupted along the table. Embarrassed, Ron and Hermione turned bright red and looked down at their feet.

"It's about time, mate." Bill shouted.

"I owe Ginny 5 sickles. I thought it would happen during 6th year." Charlie announced.

Even George took part in the mini-celebration by saying "Really, I thought it would happen in their fourth year." With this, the entire Weasley side of the table started chuckling.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other with red faces and started laughing along with his family. This was just what they needed to be able to mourn the loss of Fred but be able to start living again. Mrs. Weasley, her eyes red from crying, made her way to the couple and placed her hand on their entwined ones.

"Hermione, you've always been a part of this family. I've always waited for the day that you and Ron would come to your senses."

Hermione smiled at Mrs. Weasley while Ron, embarrassed, looked away again. Mrs. Weasley broke away from the couple and addressed her entire family, "We all know that this is the hardest thing we've had to do as a family, but we will get through it. We are strong. Fred (her voice broke) will always be with us. We have to keep living." With this she swung her arm to Ron and Hermione to use them as an example. "Right now though, I think that we all need a little sleep." The family mumbled in agreement and hugged each other while walking to the visitor's area of the castle that had been set up for the fighters and families. Ron and Hermione, however, decided to return to Gryffindor tower, where they belonged.

Ron and Hermione made the long walk to the seventh floor carefully, dodging pieces of rubble along the way. By the time they made it to their dormitories, they were so tired that they were ready to collapse. Without a question asked, Hermione followed Ron up to the boy's dormitory. They had been together so long, that they found it unfathomable to sleep without the other nearby. Reaching the room, Ron noted Harry and Ginny sound asleep in each other's arms. Once Ron got to his bed, he stretched himself out and pulled Hermione to him.

"I'm sorry I left." Ron whispered.

Hermione gave him a small smile and touched his face softly. "I know."

"I'll never do it again. I promise." He leaned in and kissed her softly.

"I know."


	2. Stay With Me

Disclaimer: Again, I do not own anything that has to do with Harry Potter.

Also, I want to thank all of you that reviewed the last chapter. Please let me know if you want me to continue. I have quite the busy schedule and if no one likes the story, I won't even bother writing it…it can stay in my head. Let me know.

The bright and sunny morning that had dawned the day that Voldemort was defeated turned into a beautiful summer evening. This was the scene that Harry awoke to. The curtains on the window were parted just enough to reveal the soft light of a setting sun sparkling with very dim stars beginning to show in the slit of sky that was visible. He had slept all day long through much of the initial cleanup of Hogwarts.

Yawning and stretching his aching limbs, Harry looked over to find Ron's bed occupied as his had been earlier. Ron was completely stretched out with his arm around Hermione, holding her close to him while Hermione was curled up next to him with her hand on his chest. Harry had to grin at this sight. After years of arguing and denying their feelings for one another, they finally had given in.

Looking over at his side, he noticed that Ginny was not still beside him. They had talked that morning and had decided that both of them still wanted to be together. She was mad at him, sure. He had broken up with her and had refused to tell her anything he, Ron and Hermione were doing. He left her for a year to search for Horcruxes. She couldn't be mad for long, though. After all, Voldemort had been defeated. And, he smiled, thinking to himself-- she loves me. Glancing at the nightstand, Harry noticed a note scrawled on a small piece of parchment.

_I've gone to be with my family. Didn't want to wake anyone up…you all look like you need some sleep. Find me when you wake. Love,_

_Ginny_

A sudden movement from Ron's bed startled him as he looked and saw Hermione yawn and stretch out like a cat. She caught Harry's eye and grinned at him when he winked. A loud rumble from her stomach made her glance at the clock by Ron's bed. It was 8:30 at night and she had not eaten since…well, honestly she had no idea how long it had been since she had eaten a proper meal. They had all had some bread and cheese at Aberforth's before the battle started, but it definitely didn't undo the starvation of nearly an entire year.

Looking next to her at the man she loved more than life itself made her heart sink a little. He looked incredibly pale (even more than usual) and had lost so much weight that he looked almost sick. Actually, she thought, she and Harry didn't look much better- a year of eating sporadically made all three of them look horrible.

Her stomach rumbled again as if not to be ignored. Not wanting to leave Ron at all, she shook the sleeping redhead next to her. Ron jerked awake and automatically grabbed his wand on his bedside table and whipped around, ready to attack. Soon realizing that it had been Hermione shaking him, he lowered his wand and looked around the room.

"Glad to see you're awake, mate." Harry said with a smile. "I was beginning to wonder how long you'd sleep."

Ron rubbed his eyes and glanced (much like Hermione) at the clock next to his bed. They had been asleep for quite a long time, but he still felt completely knackered.

"Is it night or morning?" Ron asked with a yawn.

"It's night, I think. We've been asleep all day." Harry responded.

Getting out of bed, Ron strolled across the room and opened the curtains wider. Much of the destruction outside of Hogwarts was visible, but so were the efforts in restoring it in the twelve hours or so since Voldemort's defeat. Huge chunks of the castle had been blasted away during the battle and much work still remained at restoring the castle to its previous state.

Turning around to face his two best friends, Ron uttered the question that had been on all of their minds.

"Do you think life will ever be the same again…after all we've lost?"

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and then back at Ron. For once, Hermione seemed at a loss for words. Harry slipped out of bed and placed his hand on Ron's shoulder. "I don't think so mate. At least we have each other though. I don't know what I would have done if either of you had been killed."

Ron nodded. "I know. I feel the same way." He said, looking pointedly at Hermione.

Harry patted him on the shoulder again and began walking to the door of the dormitory. "I'm going to find Ginny. I think you guys should think about coming down to the Great Hall for some food. You both look terrible." He said with a laugh as he walked away.

They stood grinning for a moment as Harry left before Ron reached over and grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her to him. Blue eyes met brown as they turned to face each other and slowly leaning in, he kissed her. It was not as fierce and passionate as before nor was it either in front of Harry or his entire family. It was just Ron and Hermione together… and to them, that was perfect. Their foreheads met as he pulled her into a hug.

"We have to go down now." He whispered.

"I know."

"Stay with me?" he pleaded, looking deep into her eyes.

"Always."


	3. Avenger

**I'm sorry it took so long for me to update—I'm an extremely busy person while finishing my last semester in college. I decided to do something a little different with this chapter… it's not all about Ron and Hermione. It's still kind of fluffy, but has some substance to it. Also, I know that some of this has been done before, but with all of the Harry Potter fanfics out there, there isn't much that hasn't been done. I just try to put my own spin on things. I think this is going to be my last chapter, but I'm not sure. Let me know what you think. **

_ The Avenger _

Leaving the peaceful confines of the Gryffindor boy's dormitory, Ron and Hermione made their way down to the Great Hall. They walked slowly, knowing that once they returned to the hall, the nightmare would begin again. Although cleanup was going on all around them, all of the grieving families were likely to be gathered in the Great Hall. Hermione glanced at Ron and squeezed his hand as they reached the massive doors. He looked over and gave her a sad smile and pushed the doors open. The mood that had been present the last time they were there had lightened a little. The dead had been moved to a different part of the castle, leaving only the families and those who were cleaning up inside the hall. Although the mood was somber, there were celebrations all throughout the Great Hall. Even those that had lost friends and family were able to see the scope of the moment and celebrate Voldemort's defeat.

Spotting their friend on the other side of the hall, Ron and Hermione made their way through the throng of people standing around.

"Neville."

Turning around, Neville's face broke out into a grin.

"Ron…Hermione."

"How are you doing mate? Is your grandmother okay?" Ron asked.

Neville's grandma had been injured by one of the Death Eaters during the final stand. She had been hit with a blasting curse that sent her flying across the Grand Entrance.

Neville smiled and nodded. "Yeah, she's doing great. Madame Pomfrey was able to mend her broken bones. She still has a nasty headache, but she'll be okay."

Hermione reached over and gave Neville a big hug. "I'm glad she's okay. Ron and I wanted to come over and thank you for finishing off that snake. We were wondering how we would get that done."

Neville blushed and ran his hands through his hair. "It seems like I'm quite popular right now that everyone saw me kill the snake. Now I have a small idea of what you feel every day."

Ron and Hermione started and glanced at each other. "What we feel? We're not popular." Hermione stated.

"Right, mate. It's Harry that is adored, not us." Ron added.

Neville smiled shook his head. "You were gone for a year. Even though no one knew the details, we knew that you were helping Harry. That definitely made both of you famous, just like Harry."

Ron and Hermione gave each other a quizzical, yet understanding look.

"So that's why everyone has been staring at us ever since the battle ended." Ron laughed. "I thought I had a bogey or something on my face."

Neville grinned while Hermione rolled her eyes but bringing her hand up to her face could not hide the small smile that she tried to conceal. Ron grinned and pulled her hand away and held it within his much larger ones.

"Are you serious? Hermione Granger thought a bogey joke was funny? Maybe you've been spending too much time with me lately."

Hermione cocked her head to the side and shrugged, as if possibly considering it.

Ron raised his eyebrows. "Hey! I was just kidding!"

Hermione grinned and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "I don't think we've been spending enough time together, do you?" she asked suggestively.

Only the sound of Neville clearing his throat finally turned their attention back to their friend.

Neville smiled at them first before frowning and shifting his feet back and forth awkwardly. "I know this is probably a bad time but…do you think that your mom would talk to me? I know that she's dealing with…a lot right now but I'd like to thank her for what she did."

Ron gave him a small smile and nodded. "I'm sure that she would like that."

Neville nodded and smiled a farewell at both of his friends. Looking over at the large, red-headed family (which also included one head of messy black hair) on the other side of the hall, Neville easily spotted the woman who had done so much for him. He just had to let her know.

Crossing the Great Hall seemed to take an eternity. Rehearsing what he was going to say in his mind, Neville was more than a little nervous. He had never been one to openly express his feelings about his parents but he felt a strong desire to talk to Mrs. Weasley about them…after all, she had killed Bellatrix Lestrange.

Finally reaching the outer circle that was the Weasley family huddled around the table, Neville cleared his throat again. The entire family looked in his direction.

Neville looked down and stuttered, "Um…Mrs. Weasley? I understand if this is not the right time but I, um, was wondering if I could speak with you."

Mrs. Weasley smiled and nodded, leading him out of the Great Hall and into the Grand Entrance.

Slipping around the stones that had once been the Ravenclaw house points, Neville finally turned to face the woman that had done so much for him, even if she didn't know it.

"I just wanted to thank you for all that you have done. I know that you have heard about my parents being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange but I didn't know if you had heard that they died a couple of months ago." Mrs. Weasley gasped. Trying to keep his composure Neville nodded. "They had been suffering for so long…I know that they're in a better place now." Bowing his head, a single tear slid down his cheek.

Mrs. Weasley pulled Neville into a motherly hug like she would give one of her children, squeezing with all of her strength. When she finally relinquished her hold on him, he looked down at her and smiled.

"I just wanted to thank you for…well, this sounds bad…but, finally finishing the witch off" he said, nearly shouting the last part.

Mrs. Weasley gave him a small, sad smile. "It's too bad that it can't erase the past though" she said.

Neville nodded and smiled. "I know. But it can give some hope for the future."

Returning to the Great Hall, Mrs. Weasley approached her family and embraced each one of them, including Harry and Hermione (who, with Ron had rejoined the family table). Noticing the worried glances that the children were giving each other, Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrow.

"What? I can't hug my family just to tell them that I love them?" she said with a stern voice.

A little frightened, red heads (and one black, one brown) started bobbing up and down. Mrs. Weasley gave a little chuckle.

"It's time to go home."


End file.
